Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2339

Introduced
2/7/25  

Caption

Enhancing adult care home services by providing for adult care home workforce development through scholarships for part-time nursing students and setting minimum education levels for instructors at nursing schools, establishing an intergenerational child care program to enhance the adult care home environment by supporting adult care homes offering child care services through the awarding of grants by the secretary of health and environment and creating the intergenerational child care fund and authorizing the secretary to administer the fund.

Summary

HB 2339 creates a new state grant program to support “intergenerational child care” in adult care homes. The bill authorizes the secretary of health and environment to award grants to adult care homes that establish or operate child care services, with the stated goals of helping address Kansas child care shortages, supporting workforce stability for families, and improving the adult care home environment for residents, employees, and communities. Grants would begin in January 2026 and could be awarded up to $20,000 per recipient per fiscal year. The bill also creates the intergenerational child care fund in the state treasury and directs transfers of $1 million from the state general fund on July 1, 2025, and each July 1 through 2027, subject to appropriations. The secretary may also accept federal funds, private donations, and other authorized moneys. The program is temporary: it expires July 1, 2028, at which time any remaining fund balance and liabilities are transferred to the general fund and the fund is abolished. The secretary must also submit annual reports to the legislature on program activity and effectiveness. In addition to the child care program, HB 2339 amends Kansas nursing law to revise approval standards for nursing schools. It requires faculty at approved professional and practical nursing schools to have a nursing or directly related medical degree from an accredited school that is at least one level more advanced than the degree awarded by the program they teach, while stating that additional or more advanced credentials may not be required. The bill also updates provisions governing school approval, continuing nursing education providers, and out-of-state school evaluation. The bill further expands the nursing service scholarship program to explicitly allow scholarships for part-time nursing students, not just full-time students, and clarifies that part-time recipients receive prorated awards. Scholarships remain available to qualified nursing students enrolled in or admitted to programs leading to RN or LPN licensure, and Kansas residency is not required. These changes are aimed at strengthening the nursing pipeline and adult care home workforce. Overall, the bill appears to be framed as a workforce and care-services measure, combining child care innovation with nursing education and scholarship changes. Because no committee transcripts or votes were provided, there is no recorded public debate in the supplied materials; however, the structure of the bill suggests likely support from adult care home and workforce advocates, alongside possible scrutiny over the new spending commitment, the temporary grant fund, and whether the proposed faculty qualification standards are sufficiently rigorous or too restrictive.

Impact

HB 2339 would add a new, temporary state-administered grant program and fund for adult care homes that provide child care services, with appropriations and transfers from the state general fund through 2027. It would also amend Kansas nursing statutes to change school approval requirements and broaden the nursing service scholarship program to include part-time students. The bill repeals and replaces the existing versions of K.S.A. 65-1119 and K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 74-3293, affecting nursing schools, nursing students, the Kansas State Board of Nursing, adult care homes, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and caption, the measure is generally presented in a positive, solution-oriented way, emphasizing child care access, intergenerational benefits, and nursing workforce development. The request came from LeadingAge Kansas, which suggests support from adult care home stakeholders. No committee discussion or vote history was provided, so there is no documented opposition or recorded floor sentiment in the supplied materials.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are policy and fiscal. The bill commits state general fund money to a new grant program, which may draw scrutiny over cost, especially because the program is limited to adult care homes and sunsets in 2028. The nursing school provisions could also be debated: supporters may view the faculty-degree standard as a reasonable minimum, while critics could argue it either weakens or overcomplicates existing standards. The expansion of scholarships to part-time students is likely less controversial, but it still affects program eligibility and funding priorities.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SR1702

A resolution honoring the life, career and trailblazing achievements of Kansas icon Ed Dwight.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

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